“To be honest, we have not seen advantages, unfortunately”: Pashinyan on Russia's military presence

“At least in the context of the events I described, we have not seen advantages, unfortunately.” This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during an interview with the Wall Street Journal when responding to the question of whether Russia’s military presence in Armenia is an advantage or a hindrance.

“In May 2021 and September 2022, Azerbaijan carried out aggressive actions against Armenia and occupied territories. The Collective Security Treaty and the Charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organization clearly outline the actions to be taken when aggression occurs against a member state. What is described has not occurred, and understandably, this is disappointing for both the Armenian government and the Armenian public,” he said, addressing questions about relations with Russia.

Pashinyan also mentioned that Armenia has a bilateral security agreement with Russia, and the actions described in that agreement have not taken place either, which has raised serious questions among both the government and the public.

Regarding relations with other partners, Pashinyan stated, “To be more accurate and honest, I should say that these situations have effectively led us to a decision to diversify our relations in the security sector. And we are now trying to do that.”

However, according to Pashinyan, there are no discussions about withdrawing military bases from Armenia. “We are not discussing such a question at this point. We are currently discussing other issues, trying to understand what the cause of such a situation is, and I believe this will be a topic in the working discussions agenda between Armenia and Russia, as well as between Armenia and the Collective Security Treaty Organization,” he added.